


Filling in the gaps

by anonymwlw



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, for like all of them, no beta we die like dean, technically, too soon?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27674470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymwlw/pseuds/anonymwlw
Summary: You know how that finale (dumpster fire, I know) left huge gaps where they probably had to cut out some stuff? Yeah, I figured I'd fill them. This is technically canon compliant, since the scenes we saw in those montages did happen, but I retroactively added in a ton of the stuff we actually care about.Or: The Winchester brothers reunite and catch up in heaven.
Relationships: Castiel & Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	Filling in the gaps

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I am pretty sure what we saw was not originally supposed to be the ending, but it is how it is and I'm salvaging what I can.  
> All mistakes are my own. If you find grammar/spelling errors, feel free to point them out.

On a bridge in heaven two brothers were hugging.  
The taller of the two pulled away first. “It’s good to see you again, Dean.”  
“Yeah, you too.”  
Dean’s smile faded a little as he took in his little brother’s appearance. “You haven’t changed at all…” A frown. “Sam, don’t tell me you came right after -”  
“No, no. That’s not -” Sam huffed a laugh. “I had years. Decades, in fact.”  
Hearing that, the smile was back on Dean’s face. “Good,” he replied.  
“Yes, it was.” He threw a look around his surroundings before deciding to lean against the hood of the car. “After you died, I met up with Eileen.” He smiled wistfully.  
“We kept hunting together for a while. And others as well - Jody, Donna, the girls, the hunters from apocalypse world - we managed to get a communication system running. Exchanging info, locations, lore, that kinda stuff. And when that was done, I - we - well, me and Eileen, we decided to take a step back from the front lines. You know, settle down.”  
“Apple pie life, huh?”  
The tone was teasing, but Sam shook his head.  
“Not really, but… a home base, of sorts? We stopped hunting altogether after a while, but others came by a lot. We had lore, resources, experience, -” he paused for a moment - “a kid.”  
Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise, but waited for Sam to finish his tale.  
“Dean junior.” He smiled sheepishly. “I tried not to do what dad did with us, the whole raising him a hunter thing. We taught him some stuff when he got older and started asking questions, of course. Self-defense, basic protection sigils and such, but… I think he turned out okay.”  
Sam looked at his brother to see tears forming in his eyes. Dean cleared his throat, but his voice still sounded thick when he spoke.  
“I’m sure he did.” There was a small pause, and then he added, “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see that.”  
Sam nodded. “Yeah, me too.”  
Silence followed - not uncomfortable, but one that was the result of two people deep in their own thoughts.  
Eventually, Dean straightened up, smiling again. He clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder.  
“C’mon, I’ll show you around the place. There’s been a few changes since the last time you were here. Jack’s remodeled.”  
He grinned at Sam, who quirked up an eyebrow but didn’t object, instead sitting in his old place in the Impala. Dean joined him in the driver’s seat a moment later.  
They started driving. Soon, the trees faded to reveal houses, some far apart, some close together. Dean pointed out some of them, giving a running commentary.  
“That right there is Bobby’s place - our Bobby, not the one from apocalypse world - man, that was quite a ruckus, when he turned up and we suddenly had two Bobbys on our hands - anyways, they figured it out, and apocalypse world Bobby lives right over there. They pretend they still hate each other, but everyone knows they get beers and complain about everyone else to each other all the time.  
“Down that street is Kevin’s place - yeah, Jack got rid of that bullshit rule Chuck wrote in about souls that went to hell, so don’t worry, Eileen’s gonna join us too, sooner or later - and Charlie lives right across from him, nerds that they are… Oh, by the way, how is the other Charlie doing?”  
Sam shook himself from his efforts to process all this new information. “Yeah, she and Stevie retired as well, last I heard. Something about opening a small bakery…”  
The corners of Dean’s eyes crinkled. “That sounds nice.”  
He perked up as they drove out into a bigger clearing. “Over there’s the roadhouse. We have gatherings there once in a while. Ellen and Jo, Ash, the old faces, you know.”  
He pointed to their right. “Mom and Dad’s house is over there.” His face did something complicated. “I visited them once or twice,when I was making my rounds, but… you know how it is.”  
Sam nodded. Their, and especially Dean’s, relationship with their father had always been strained.  
They kept driving, leaving the clearing again. With no more buildings in sight, Dean had stopped talking. The clouds in his expression had dissipated, replaced again with a content smile. Sam could barely remember the last time he had seen his big brother this happy for more than a few minutes. It must have been right after a still-newborn Jack had brought Cas back from the dead… Not wanting to bring up more painful memories, he stayed silent.  
Where were they going, anyway? If what Dean said about a remodeled heaven was true, Sam would have liked to actually go and meet the people he had lost, but it seemed that Dean had different plans for now. Should he ask him? Or should he wait and see where this was going?  
“How’s everyone else doing?”  
The question startled Sam from his reverie.  
“Oh, um. Well, Jody and Donna are retired as well. Claire and Kaia took over the Wayward Girl’s home some time ago. We - well, everyone - knew, if there was a kid or a teen who lost their family to the supernatural, they would take care of them. Give them a chance at a normal life. And those who wanted to hunt, well, they were able to learn safely. More or less.”  
He thought for a moment.  
“Garth’s family is good as well. Kept their community on the right path.”  
Dean nodded. “Yeah, he told me. Turned up here as well, some time ago.”  
Seeing Sam’s surprise, he elaborated. “One of the newer changes. Something about not judging people on their nature along, but on what they do with it.” He shrugged. “Garth’s a good person, always did what he thought was right - doesn’t matter if he’s a werewolf.”  
Sam smiled. “Jack’s been busy, huh?”  
Dean huffed. “Yeah, he’s a good kid. No surprise there - he had some amazing fathers, right?”  
This time, Sam couldn’t help gaping at his brother. For all of the self-confidence Dean had put on in life, this absolute faith in his own abilities, in his own worth, was new territory.  
Before he could voice any of that, however, Dean spoke again.  
“We’re here.”  
The Impala came to a stop in front of a house standing in a small clearing not far from the main road. Behind it, the forest opened to reveal a lake, quiet and peaceful. Following Dean’s example, Sam got out of the car, still wondering what the hell was going on here.  
Dean had obviously caught on to his little brother’s confusion, but instead of clarifying anything, he winked - winked! - at Sam and called out, “Honey, I’m home!”  
What?  
Honey??  
Just what the hell had happened in however much time had passed???  
Before he got out more than a confused “Huh?” a voice called from the house in answer. A fondly exasperated, familiar voice.  
“Dean, are you really going to do that every time you come home from a drive alone?”  
Cas.  
The wheels in Sam’s head turned and clicked, processing this new information as he turned himself to see a familiar figure stepping out onto the porch. Meanwhile, Dean grinned and bounded up the short stairs, greeting Cas with an embrace and a kiss.  
“You know me, can’t pass up an opportunity like that.”  
Seeing the fondness in their eyes, the love that had always been there now out in the open, Sam couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t an idiot, he had known how these two felt for each other for a long time. Still, he couldn’t quite believe his eyes.  
“Cas?”  
At long last, Cas’ eyes left Dean and he noticed Sam, who was still standing next to the Impala.  
“Sam.” Taking Dean’s hand in his, walked down the steps to greet their visitor. “It’s good to see you again.”  
“How...?” It was all he could say.  
Cas seemed to understand what he meant though. Again, he smiled.  
“Apparently, when I spoke my truth to Dean to summon the Empty-” Sam saw Dean blush and decided not to ask further- “I was able to gain a human soul. Which is why I came here when I died.”  
“And while he was at it, he helped Jack with the new design,” Dean added.  
Again, Sam’s eyes flitted between the two, took in the image of both of them, happy and together. This was better than he could have hoped for. He laughed and pulled them both into a hug. “I’m happy to see you too, Cas.”  
He pulled back a little. “And, uh, for what it’s worth - I’m really happy for you guys.”  
The corners of Dean’s eyes crinkled again. “Thanks, Sammy.”  
As they gave him a tour of the house and its surroundings, Sam for the first time began to feel that peace in his heart, that this new heaven seemed to exude. Sure, there had been times over the course of his life when he had fantasized about how things could have gone differently. How they could have brought back Cas and how he and Dean would have, eventually, figured themselves out. How all of them could have lived out their lives on earth. But that was in the past, and this was now, and this was okay.  
Later, he would have the opportunity to meet others again. To drink crappy beer and talk about the good old times with Bobby, Ellen, Jo, and Ash. To check up on Kevin, on Charlie, on Garth. To visit his parents. Later, hopefully much later, he would be able to reunite with Eileen.  
But for now, he saw Dean resting his head on Cas’ shoulder, their fingers tangling together as they sat staring out at the lake. He saw the easy laughs and smiles they shared, free from Chuck, free to be themselves.  
And he was happy with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Was some of those last paragraphs me blatantly speculating on a better ending through Sam? Perhaps.  
> The stuff about Cas gaining a soul was taken from the mythology breakdowns by occamshipper on tumblr - which I can't pretend to understand half of, but I think that was the gist of that particular development.  
> Thanks for reading! If you liked it, I would be grateful for kudos/comments!


End file.
